


Snacc

by superkitten



Category: The Bold Type
Genre: Angst, Comedy, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-15 21:20:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18081107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superkitten/pseuds/superkitten
Summary: Tiny Jane's milkshake brings all the bosses to the yard.





	1. Chapter 1

"Knock knock."

"You didn't have to come here, I was just about to go to you..." Jacqueline said, shuffling some papers on her desk before turning her attention to the woman letting herself into her office.

"Oh, that's okay, I needed to stretch my legs anyway..." Lauren Park said breezily, closing the door behind her. "Plus, it's quite nice here in your neck of the woods..."

"If this is your roundabout way of complaining about your office, _again_..."

"Well, I _am_ in Siberia over there, but I'll leave that to your conscience," Lauren quipped, taking her seat in front of Jacqueline, crossing her legs and smoothing down her skirt. Then, with a slight tilt of her head and minute widening of her eyes, she asked, "So. What is it you wanted to see me about?"

When Jacqueline shot her an incredulous look, Lauren just gave her a beatific smile in response. While her clueless act could fool most people, it could not fool Jacqueline, who knew exactly who she was dealing with.

Narrowing her eyes and smirking, Jacqueline decided to humor her Executive Editor and explained, after clearing her throat, "Now... you know I don't normally pay attention to office gossip. But--"

" _But..._ since this particular, not to mention _juicy,_ tidbit involves a certain pint-sized intrepid girl reporter you happen to have a... soft spot for, dare I say, it has caught your attention,” Lauren stated matter-of-factly.

As Jacqueline just stared at her, her face betraying nothing, Lauren called her bluff, raising an eyebrow, "Am I wrong?"

"No," Jacqueline finally said with a heavy sigh, breaking eye contact for a brief moment, not seeing the point in lying. "No, you're not wrong."

"Yeah, thought not."

"I just need to know," Jacqueline insisted, leaning forward on her desk, all business. "Are the rumors true?"

"In part..." Lauren said pensively, touching her chin with a well-manicured finger. She was playing it cool but she was enjoying this, Jacqueline could tell.

"What part?" she asked, patiently. As well as the woman could play this game, Jacqueline didn't get to where she was by showing her cards so quickly.

"You might wanna... bust out that Platinum Johnnie W. bottle I know you're hoarding in that cabinet behind you for this conversation."

It was Jacqueline's turn to raise an eyebrow - but after sustaining eye contact for a few strategic seconds, she simply swiveled in her chair and retrieved the aforementioned bottle and a couple of glasses, pouring Lauren and herself a couple of fingers of whiskey.

"That's what I'm talking about," Lauren said with a happy sigh after taking a sip. "Now you know why I came to _you_."

"What part... Lauren?" Jacqueline tried again. She knew she shouldn't have repeated the question, having betrayed her anxiety to some extent by doing so, but she no longer cared.

_She needed the truth._

"The part about Jane Sloan having had a sapphic awakening, falling for an older, mentor type-figure and dumping her stupid, clueless, asshole of a boyfriend in the process..."

Jacqueline blanched, not having expected so much so quickly. Giving up any pretense of appearing unaffected, she buried her face in her hands.

" _That_... part," Lauren added, unnecessarily.

Deciding to pay back in kind, Jacqueline straight up asked, "How about the part where _you're_ the older, mentor-type figure she has... fallen for?" 

Whether Lauren was just tired of playing games, or her superior-slash-friend's clear distress prompted her to do, Jacqueline would never know, but she finally decided to be frank and forthcoming. "I just... got caught up in this mess-- well, actually," she said with an amused chuckle, "Truth be told, I pretty much volunteered as tribute--"

"And how did _that_ happen?" 

"She was... upset.” Lauren’s tone shifted then, as she appeared to recall her interaction with Jane. “I caught her in a vulnerable moment, feeling exposed after that article came out. _'My Girlfriend Thinks She Likes Women - Now What?'_ Can you believe that Pinstripe douchebag?"

Jacqueline couldn't believe him. She had almost marched up to Pinstripe HQs to give Ryan's editor, and Ryan himself, a piece of her mind when she caught wind of that stupid story. Not only was it published only a couple of weeks after Jane and Ryan had broken things off, but he didn't make much of an effort trying to mask who the subject of his piece was, even if he didn't state her name outright.

“Outing” Jane’s sexuality had been a shitty, shitty thing to do on its own. Exposing her feelings for a particular person - well, that had been just as shitty, if not more, even if he never did name names. After all, plausible deniability could only do so much, and, as far as avoiding gossip and speculation in the workplace, it did absolutely nothing.

At the same time she found out about the article, Jacqueline also discovered Scarlet Magazine’s rumor mill had already decided who the person alluded to in Pinstripe’s piece was - one Ms. Lauren Park. The feelings that information evoked were left unexamined and compartmentalized in a box in Jacqueline's brain until she got more information on the subject.

"... so I offered to help her out,” offered Lauren with a shrug of her shoulders, bringing Jacqueline’s attention back to the present.

"Help her out _how_?"

"I made sure a couple of assistants saw me touching her arm in the break room," Lauren explained, sounding pretty pleased with herself. "It was _that_ easy."

"You call that helping her out? Helping out by providing a face to go with that piece of garbage passing for journalism?" Jacqueline was definitely upset now.

"Yes, exactly," Lauren explained, calmly, nodding slowly.

"Wha--"

"By giving a face to it."

"Lauren--"

"By giving... _a_... face to it," Lauren enunciated each word carefully, with a special emphasis on the "a".

"But how was that helping? It just confirmed people's suspicions the article was about her in the first place!"

"Oh please, that particular cat was already out of the bag. And do you really think _that's_ the part she was agonizing about?"

Jacqueline shook her head. She didn't understand.

"Come on, Jacqueline. Older, mentor-type figure-- who is the most logical person to fit that description? I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count."

Jacqueline closed her eyes.

_Oh._

"Jane doesn't give a damn that people think she is into women. She does, however, care that people think she's into _you_."

Jacqueline opened her eyes.

"That _you_  find out she's into you."

"Oh my god..."

"I can't believe I had to spell that out for you," said Lauren, getting up and freshening up her drink herself. 

"I..”

“Truth be told, I can’t believe the rumor mill bought the idea of the two of us so quickly. It’s no secret Jane is into leggy, blonde ice queens instead of petite brunette firecrackers such as myself. Such as _herself_. Which makes sense, opposites attracting and all that jazz.”

"But who--"

"I swear to God, Carlyle, if you dare to second guess who it is Jane Sloan has the hots for I'm going to smack you upside the head. No one could possibly be that clueless.”

Opening and closing her mouth, Jacqueline gave up on what she had to say. 

"Can I be blunt?" Lauren asked, seeing the wheels turning inside her friend's head.

"When are you not?" retorted Jaqueline, crossing her arms, her voice raising a few octaves. She didn't know whether she was mostly angry or frustrated by this conversation - by this whole situation -, but it was probably a healthy mix of both.

"I'm just going to come out and say it. That girl is a tasty travel-size snacc that's going to end up in someone else's pocket - or, should I say, Louis V. handbag, given recent revelations -, unless you get off your ass and do something about it."

Jacqueline just stared at her, her mouth open. She knew Lauren to be frank, inconveniently so at times, and they were good friends, but this was too much, even for her.

Widening her eyes and blinking several times, Jacqueline said, "Lauren, I--"

"You're into her. She's into you. It's about time you do something. I just had to say it," she said, putting up her hands as if in surrender. Then, as a peace offering, she grabbed Jacqueline's still unfinished glass and topped it off.

As Jacqueline gave up on sipping and resorted to gulping down her whiskey, Lauren tried to be reassuring. "You don't have to worry about... _repercussions_. I've already spoken to Shelley from HR to nip this thing in the bud. Told her there's no truth to the rumors, and even if they decide to launch an investigation of some sort, they're not gonna find anything - because, guess what? There's nothing to find."

"I wish I found that comforting." 

"No, I imagine you wouldn't - you have bigger fish to fry."

"Bigger fish..." Jacqueline repeated in a low voice, massaging her temples.

"I'm just saying... you're newly single. She's single now too," Lauren said with a chuckle. "I just realized that-- her 'coming out' and subsequent break-up with Pinstripe came right on the heels of your divorce becoming public. Coincidence? I think not."

"And what exactly do you propose I do with this information?" Jacqueline knew she was playing with fire by asking that, but couldn't help herself.

"The beauty of the whole thing is that you wouldn't have to do much. My advice? Take the girl to some dark corner, shoot her one of those trademark Jacqueline Carlyle looks of yours, and she's going to do all the work for you, I guarantee it."

It took everything Jacqueline had not to let her imagination get the best of her at the mental picture that formed in her brain just then. "I'm officially revoking your permission to be blunt," she deadpanned.

"That's funny, I don't remember you giving it to me."

"Lauren..." Jacqueline's voice was definitely a warning that the woman was treading on thin ice. Not that she usually heeded those.

"The gossip will die down pretty soon - that's the nature of the beast. Before Jane and me, it was Richard and Sutton. And just today I heard some rumblings about Andrew and the new intern hooking up in the mailroom."

When Jacqueline tilted her head and shot her a look that was about 90% annoyed and only 10% amused, Lauren seemed to take the hint.

"Well, as fun as this has been, I should get going," she said with wide eyes, finishing off her drink and getting up. "My work here is done."

"Yes, I would say so," Jacqueline retorted, sounding annoyed but giving Lauren a small smile to show her there were no hard feelings. Regardless of whether or not her plan had been sound, she had been looking out for Jane. Which she definitely appreciated. In this case, more than ever.

"Love that dress, by the way, who is it by?"

"Calvin Klein."

"Hmmm. It's a good look on you," Lauren said, almost at the door. 

"Mmmhmmm, thank you," mumbled Jacqueline, shaking her head once again. She had a lot of thinking to do. "Say goodnight, Lauren."

"Goodnight, Lauren!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one with open boxes and locked doors.

“Oh. Jane, hi. I was looking for Oliver,” Jacqueline said upon entering the fashion closet. This is where Sutton said he would be when she’d stopped by his office looking for him a little while ago - but instead of the head of the fashion department, she found Jane, sitting on one of the futons with her head in her hands. The deer in headlights look she gave Jacqueline when she saw her wasn’t exactly unprecedented, but given the serious nature of recent events, it bothered her more than it would under normal circumstances.

”Uh... he wasn't here when I arrived about five minutes ago,” Jane offered. At Jacqueline’s questioning stare, she hesitated, as if trying to think of something that would explain her being there. But if that was actually the case, she came up short, because she went on to explain, “I'm here because I needed a minute... to myself.”

Jacqueline frowned at that, taking in the distressed expression on Jane’s face. She had a pretty good idea what was wrong, having received a heads up from Shelley from Human Resources earlier that day, but decided to play dumb. “Anything the matter?"

”No, no... everything is fine,” Jane said with a small chuckle and shake of her head that came a moment too late to be convincing. “I’ll be out in a sec."

"Jane...” Jacqueline said then, closing the door behind her with a sigh before fully entering the room. “I meant what I said to you before. You can talk to me about anything. Come to me... with anything." When the girl only managed to nod in acknowledgment of her words, and stayed silent, Jacqueline masked her disappointment with a small smile and nod of her own, and then turned to leave.

"There is something... I think you should know," Jane said then, sounding anxious, making Jacqueline stop and turn around to face her once again.

_Finally._

"I was called in for a meeting with HR later today. It's about a... rumor that's been... circulating, I'm not sure you've heard--"

"Oh, I heard."

If Jane seemed nervous before, now she looked positively scared, as her face drained of all color. Jacqueline could've kicked herself - she was normally good at figuring out when to tread lightly, but Lauren's penchant for bluntness must have rubbed off on her. 

"It's not true," Jane was quick to say. Then she seemed to struggle with the best way to explain the situation. "I don't know how much you know, but there's this article..."

Sighing, Jacqueline approached her and took a seat next to her on the futon. "I've read it. It's crap."

Jane met her eyes and smiled before quickly averting her gaze again. Jacqueline then said, "I don't care what happened between the two of you - Ryan should never have written that story. But you have nothing to feel embarrassed about."

"But that's exactly how--"

"You have _nothing_... to feel embarrassed about." Jacqueline's gaze was unwavering and her tone firm - it was imperative that Jane knew that.

After a moment of silence, the girl explained, "She was just trying to help me.” Then, closing her eyes, as if gathering her courage, her tone firm but her words quick, like she was pulling off a band-aid, she confessed, "It's not about Lauren." 

"I know that, too," Jacqueline said, as softly as she could.

Jane laughed then, all nerves, before burying her face in her hands. It reminded Jacqueline of her own reaction the day before. "Of course you do," she said, her words muffled.

Removing her hands from her face and looking down at her lap, she attempted to articulate her feelings. “You say I shouldn’t be embarrassed, but I just feel so..." 

"...exposed," finished Jacqueline, absentmindedly, as she recalled Lauren's choice of words during their conversation.

"Yes," Jane said, still not making eye contact.

It upset Jacqueline to see a girl who was normally so vibrant and full of confidence be scared and vulnerable like this.

But she knew what she could do to fix it.

Nodding, even though Jane couldn't see her, she said, quietly, "I think I know what would help with that."

As Jane finally raised her head to look at her, Jacqueline took a deep, fortifying breath before carefully saying, "Do you know what it was like for me to find out about... you and Lauren?"

Jane opened her mouth and Jacqueline knew she'd been about to protest, explain that she and Lauren were not a thing - but realizing almost right away that was not the point of the question, she quickly closed it and waited for her to speak.  _Good girl_.

It was simple, really. Jacqueline already had the information she needed. Doing this scared her, and she knew there would be unpredictable consequences, but she - but  _they_  - would just have to deal with them. They had lived in denial, done this push and pull dance of theirs for too long, and now it was time for the truth to come out.

_It was time to open the box._

"I was... shocked, at first. I was also... upset and angry for you, that your privacy had been invaded like that.”

Jane was hanging on to her every word, as she appeared to listen without taking a breath.

"And as long as I'm being honest here... I have to admit that I felt... _jealous_."

Jane's head snapped up at that. "Jealous that I went to Lauren for help,” she stated instead of asking. It was like she couldn't believe what she'd just heard.

"No. Jealous that the rumors were about _her_."

Jane's mouth opened in shock.

"And not me."

Watching the transformation on Jane's face as she absorbed her words was nothing short of fascinating to Jacqueline. The way her cheeks flushed pink, her pupils dilated and her breath quickened... the girl was a thing of beauty.

_And she looked good enough to eat._

"Oh," Jane finally said. Jacqueline’s own body began to respond, so attuned to hers, her heartbeat picking up speed. It was like the temperature in the room had climbed some twenty degrees, and she knew they were quickly approaching dangerous territory here.

"So there," she managed to say, her voice low and raspy. "Now that you know all of that, you're not the only one who feels... _exposed_."

Jane took a deep breath and let it out, her nostrils flaring. Where before she could barely make eye contact with Jacqueline, now it seemed she couldn't take her eyes off of her. At the same time, her eyelids were at half-mast, like she was struggling to keep her eyes open, and Jacqueline kept on watching her, enthralled by the physical changes she could see on Jane’s face and body in response to _her_ words. Holding back from what she wanted, from what they both wanted, was almost painful at this point, but it was also exhilarating. It felt like they were standing on the edge of a precipice, about to fall...

Jacqueline's admission had the desired effect, as it seemed to have emboldened Jane. She sat up straight and began talking - _really_ talking. "I told Ryan that I... was attracted to someone else. That it wouldn't be fair to him if we stayed together when..." She hesitated for a brief moment, but then soldiered on. “But when he found out it was a woman, he tried to convince me we didn't have to end things, that maybe... it didn't mean anything."

"But it's _you,_ " Jane said then, a glassy sheen in her eyes, as she blinked back tears. "It's you, so it means everything."

Jacqueline looked at her, eyebrows furrowed, her own eyes glinting in response to Jane's words. With one hand she cupped the girl's cheek, making her eyes close, as she leaned into her touch.

"Look at me."

When Jane managed to open her eyes and look at Jacqueline, her expression had changed. Whereas before she had seemed so shy and scared, now she had an intense, dark look in her eyes like she was barely in control and on the verge of... _something_.

"Jacqueline--" she started saying. If she looked beautiful before, now she looked magnificent. Jacqueline used a finger of the hand that had touched her face to lightly trace her jawline, and then find her pulse point. It was beating wildly at the base of her throat. 

Swallowing hard, Jane warned, "If you keep doing that I'm not going to be responsible for my actions for much longer."

"Well... maybe..." Jacqueline said, her voice low and husky. "Maybe you shouldn't be."

That was all it took. 

Jane leaned forward and crashed their lips together. The sound she made was like music to Jacqueline’s ears, her mouth opening automatically beneath hers.

At the first, gentle touch of their tongues, Jacqueline moaned, which clearly did something to Jane, who let out an answering growl and began to explore her mouth in earnest. Her hands, which had been clenched into fists in her lap, began to move - one went to grab at Jacqueline's waist and the other one to rest on her thigh. When Jane made a frustrated sound in the back of her throat, their mouths still fused tightly together, Jacqueline's foggy brain couldn't comprehend why at first - but as she began to squeeze her thigh, her hand inching higher and higher, it hit her: she was wearing slacks, and Jane couldn't reach skin. Her suspicions were confirmed soon after when clumsy, trembling fingers started tugging at her waistband and zipper, and as much as the thought of letting Jane do whatever she wanted to her sounded oh so very appealing to Jacqueline, a vaguely formed but still unpleasant thought began nagging her. Allowing herself to be distracted by their kiss, which was getting more intense by the second, it took Jacqueline's brain a while to catch up, but when it finally did, she froze.

_The door to the fashion closet was not locked._

"Jane..." Jacqueline mumbled into the kiss, as she attempted to get them to slow down a bit. Gently grabbing the hand that had been working on her pants, she moved it to her rest on her thigh again, covering it with her own. She knew she had to take the reins of the situation before it got really out of control.

"Hmm," Jane grunted, her noise of protest making Jacqueline smile against her lips. She then moved her hands to cup the girl's face, lightly caressing her cheeks with her thumbs, taking advantage of her surprised reaction to move her lips slower, more gently. Jane’s protests were a thing of the past as she seemed to melt into her, slowing down in response to the new rhythm  Jacqueline had established, a content moan escaping her lips. About a minute later, they finally parted, their foreheads immediately moving to rest against one another as they attempted to get their breathing under control.

Jacqueline knew they were still in a compromising position so, very reluctantly, she pulled away so they were just sitting opposite each other on the futon, their knees barely grazing. Jane's eyes remained closed, as she appeared to get a hold of herself. Jacqueline was struggling to get back to reality as well, her heart pounding in her chest, still reeling from their mind-numbing kiss.

The more she looked at Jane, the more difficult it was to pull herself together. 

"The door," Jacqueline managed to get out after a stretch of silence, clearing her throat. Her voice sounded like she'd swallowed gravel and was foreign to her ears. "The door is unlocked."

"Oh," Jane said, finally opening her eyes and swallowing hard. "I see..." Her face said she understood, but her voice said she didn't. 

"The last thing you need right now if for another rumor of this... nature to make the rounds."

Jane nodded shakily as she exhaled hard through her nose. Her hair was a mess and Jacqueline vaguely wondered if she had buried her hands in it at some point. She couldn't remember, it was like her brain had short-circuited. But it was Jane's kiss-swollen lips and the shiny, wild, barely controlled look in her eyes that flipped a switch inside of her.

Because next thing she knew, she was getting up on shaky legs and making her way towards the door.

Only, instead of leaving, as she should have, she turned the lock.

Jacqueline had barely heard the sound of the latch turning when she felt Jane pulling on her arm, turning her around, and then wrapping a hand on the back of her neck to pull her down for a kiss. Giving up on any pretense of control, knowing immediately they wouldn't leave this room without actually doing this, Jacqueline thought _screw it_ and started to push Jane backwards and then to the left so she could sit on top of an accessories cart that was just the right height to level the playing field.

_Travel-size snacc indeed_ , she thought, letting out a chuckle against Jane's lips.

"What's funny?" an out of breath Jane asked when their lips parted a moment later, tugging on her blouse to get it free from the waistband of her pants, a greedy hand immediately finding the bare skin of her stomach.

Jacqueline's laugh turned into a moan at the sensation. "Just... something Lauren said."

"You're really bringing up other women when my hand is down your pants?"

Jacqueline had been about to say that's not where her hand was when _there_ \- Jane's fingers found her underwear and started rubbing her over them. She then answered in a strangled voice, "You're the one who's supposed... to be sleeping with her... not me."

"Well, I seem to have upgraded to the Editor-in-Chief--" Jane started, but was distracted by Jacqueline, who'd managed to unbutton her blouse and was now cupping a breast over her bra.

"So you're dumping her for me?" Jacqueline teased, but before she had a chance to say anything else Jane's tongue was in her mouth again, and her fingers pushed her underwear to the side and entered her. 

The time for talking was over. Breaking off the kiss, their foreheads rested against one another. Jacqueline managed to get a hand up Jane's skirt and stroked her thigh, dragging her nails against the muscle, eliciting a whimper from the girl. Her skirt, however, was too tight for Jacqueline to get access to her panties, and she made a frustrated noise. But then Jane's fingers curled inside of her, and her thumb started rubbing her clit, and she couldn't focus on anything else after that.

"Jane..." she moaned, moving her face to her neck, where she started licking and biting, making Jane shiver and her fingers jerk against her. The harder touch made her gasp, and Jane took the hint and made her movements more forceful, making Jacqueline's body sing. _She was getting close..._

They had been so caught up in each other that it was a while before Jacqueline was able to make out the sound of a phone - more precisely, of a phone alarm. Reluctantly removing her head from its resting place where Jane's neck met her shoulder, she asked, "What's that sound?"

It was a while before her question registered Jane was so focused on what she was doing. Then, it was another couple of beats until she realized what the noise was. "It's just my alarm for my HR meeting--"

Jacqueline froze, trying to pull away from Jane who held on and explained, "It's just my first alarm-- I have two others set..."

"Well, of course you do," said Jacqueline with a small chuckle.

"You're not going anywhere until I'm done with you..." Jane said, finding a rhythm that was getting Jacqueline closer and closer to the edge, her mouth on hers again. In the beginning, she was all desire and enthusiasm, but Jacqueline marveled as to how quickly she was able to learn her body and give her what she needed.

"If I'm late, I can always say I was screwing my boss in the fashion closet..." Jane spoke in Jacqueline's ear, twisting her fingers harder and harder inside of her, making her gasp. "And that I couldn't just leave her there without giving her an orgasm."

When Jane bit her earlobe, soothing it with her tongue, and her thumb pushed down against her clit, it was over. Jacqueline came with a scream she tried her best to muffle against Jane's neck.

Her legs were threatening to give out from under her as they stayed there, wrapped around each other.

When she was capable of speech once again, Jacqueline asked, slightly out of breath still, "How long until your meeting?"

Doing some quick math in her head, Jane said, lazily, "About fifteen minutes. Why?"

Jacqueline shot her a look that made her gulp, and then she was pulling Jane from the cart and directing her towards the futon.

_They had plenty of time..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew!
> 
> A couple of things to note here:
> 
> 1) This was baby’s first time writing M/E (?) rated content, so be gentle, pls.  
> 2) I'm much more comfortable writing from Jane's POV, but *hopefully* I did our queen justice. I tried my best!
> 
> Let me know your thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short epilogue to wrap things up.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Sutton asked Jane, as the two of them, plus Kat, vegged out on the couch, only half paying attention to the show they were marathoning on Netflix.

“I was just thinking - I feel like I should get Lauren something.”

“Hmmm?”

“For helping me with the Pinstripe article debacle.”

“Not to mention for helping you _get laid_ ,” chimed in Kat.

“Yeah, that too,” Jane said, a sweet smile on her face and a dreamy look in her eyes.

Shaking her head, she then tried to focus her attention back on the screen, only to discover that she couldn’t.

”Kat... I can _hear_ you looking at me.”

“Oh. Sorry,” her friend said. She was looking at Jane like she was a puzzle she couldn’t solve. “It’s just... I still can’t believe it.”

At Jane’s offended look, Kat was quick to reassure her. “No, I didn’t mean it like that. You’re a total catch, babe, you know that.”

“Then how _did_ you mean it?”

“It’s like…” Kat tried, struggling to find a way to explain it.“You learned how to swim in the deep end of the pool!”

“The _deeeeep_ end,” piped up Sutton, eyes wide. “Quite deep… that end.”

Jane rolled her eyes at her friends but smirked, amused by their antics.

She thought they were done and attempted to focus on the television again when she heard Kat say, abruptly, “With no floaties.”

Jane turned her head and shot her a look.

“With someone just… pushing you in,” she said, as Sutton made a motion with both hands to illustrate Kat's point. “No lessons, no tips, no anything.”

“And you came out of the pool swimming like Michael Phelps,” concluded Sutton.

“That's... what I was trying to say,” Kat finished, a bit sheepishly.

“Oh, you 'said it' way back at ‘learned how to swim in the deep end of the pool’,” deadpanned Jane. “Everything that came after was just… overkill.”

At Kat’s yellow smile she added, “I mean, I’m surprised there weren’t sharks in that pool.”

“I would have gotten there eventually if we’d have… kept going,” explained Sutton.

Kat laughed and went on to say, “I can’t help but be a bit shocked by the whole thing. I mean… it’s _Jacqueline_."

 _“I know!”_  interjected Sutton, Monica Geller-style. “Even I’m jealous!”

“Hey!” said Jane in mock jealousy.

“But in a good way,” the blonde was quick to say, before shaking Jane's arm. “You’re doing amazing, sweetie!”

“We’re so proud!” Kat said, enthusiastically.

“Yeah, yeah…” Jane said shyly, smiling from ear to ear. 

“Look at you, miss thang, you’re glowing,” Sutton said, nudging her with an elbow to her side.

“Getting laid will do that to you,” said Kat with a smile. Then her face fell.

“What’s wrong?” asked Jane.

“I just realized I’m the only one of us who hasn’t had sex on a futon in the fashion closet,” explained Kat. “That’s kind of a bummer.”

”Hey - you did remove a yoni egg out of my vagina on a futon...” said Jane, trying to comfort her friend. "That sorta counts."

”That absolutely does not count!” Kat said indignantly, shaking her head. At Jane’s flat look she said, more nicely, “I mean, no offense...”

“Well, you need to do something to remedy that,” said Sutton matter-of-factly. “They’re surprisingly comfortable.”

Jane nodded in agreement. Before she could get distracted by thoughts of the fifteen or so minutes she'd spent on her back on a futon - or daydream about christening the remaining flat surfaces of the fashion closet with Jacqueline -, she shook her head and said, clapping her hands, “So… Lauren! Gift ideas, go!”

“I don’t know, a fruit basket?” suggested Kat.

“Oh, a subscription to the green juice of the month club?” Sutton tried next.

“Is that a thing?” Jane asked the blonde with a frown, grabbing her phone from the coffee table.

“I don’t know,” said Sutton. “I feel like it could be. I should’ve looked into it when I was her assistant, come to think of it.”

“Yeah, why didn’t you?” asked Kat, and Sutton just shrugged.

“I’ll be damned - it is a thing,” said Jane.

“Well, there you go,” said Sutton, getting up to refresh their popcorn bowl. “Problem solved.”

* * *

 

 _"Knock knock,"_  Jacqueline announced, a smirk on her face, as she stood at the door to Lauren's office.

"Ms. Carlyle, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I was on my way out when I saw you were still here - I figured I'd repay your visit. But if this is a bad time--"

"No, not at all! Come in," said Lauren. "Can I offer you anything? All I have is water and green juice in my mini fridge, I’m afraid - my office is not nearly as well-stocked as yours."

"That's ok, I'm good," replied Jacqueline as she took her seat on the chair in front of Lauren’s desk, crossing her legs and pulling on her blazer.

"You know, you’re not the first unexpected visitor I’ve had today.”

”Oh?”

”Jane... dropped by earlier,” Lauren said quickly, watching Jacqueline attentively to gauge her reaction. When all she did was raise her eyebrows slightly in a display of mild curiosity, Lauren continued, “She wanted to thank me for helping with the article drama. She practically skipped into my office - quite a change from the girl I practically talked off a ledge a mere two days ago.”

“How about that,” remarked Jacqueline in a bright voice, her expression betraying nothing. “Nothing like one day after another, I suppose.”

“Right...” Lauren said with a nod and smile that could only be described as suspicious. “It was such a remarkable change that I can’t help but wonder what could have brought it about...”

Jacqueline just looked at her, a perfectly serene expression on her face.

”Do you... have any idea what could have brought such a ‘pep in her step’?”

Jacqueline could definitely think of a few things. She did some of her best work under pressure after all - and the time constraints they were under, not to mention the semi-public location they were in - definitely qualified as such. “I mean... we talked," she offered with a shrug of her shoulders, after a moment of contemplation.

Lauren's face practically fell at that. But then she kept looking at Jacqueline and she must have seen _something_ in her expression because she was back to smiling suspiciously in no time.

"I guess I was just wondering if you took my advice?"

Jacqueline stared at Lauren, nodding slightly as she appeared to think about her question. After a long, suspenseful pause, and dramatic sigh, she answered, quite casually, “In part...”

"What... part?"

Jacqueline smiled at that, eyes crinkling, ”How does it feel to be on the other side of the table?”

”It’s not nearly as fun, I’m not gonna lie,” she admitted. “Come on - throw me a bone here. Did you take her to some dark corner and let her climb you like a tree or not?” 

"I don't remember you saying anything about climbing _or_ trees..."

"Oh for heaven's sake," Lauren said, exasperated. "Did you have sex or not?"

Jacqueline shot her a look before getting up and saying, "I don't kiss and tell."

Lauren broke into a knowing smile, before turning serious and calling her bluff with a raised eyebrow, "If you're saying that it's because you kissed."

Jacqueline stopped at the door, one hand against the glass, drumming it with her nails. After a few beats, she finally said, "That too."

"Called it!"

"Goodnight, Lauren..."

"Come back here, I need details!"

"I don't kiss and tell, remember?"

 _"Do I get my new office now?"_ Jacqueline heard her say, but she was already out the door, and just shook her head and grinned as she made her way to the elevator area. 

When she turned the corner, she found herself face to face with--

"Jane," she said, surprised but happy to see her. "You're still here."

 _"You're_ still here," said Jane, breaking into a big smile. "I stopped by your office on my way out but thought you'd already left. I was hoping we could go get a drink."

"Sure, I'd like that."

When the elevator doors opened they both got in. The car was empty except for them, and they stood shoulder to shoulder, way closer than necessary. After a moment Jacqueline could feel Jane touching her hand with her pinkie. It was the slightest of touches but her breath caught, and she could hear the change in Jane's breathing.

"I guess now would be a good time to ask...", Jane started saying, and Jacqueline turned to look at her.

"How do you feel about elevators?"

**Author's Note:**

> If I continue this, there'll be a rating change.


End file.
